Engine-governor



W. ROBBINS AND H. F. BRYAN.

ENGINE GOVERNOR. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 19, I917.

Patented Mani23, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

-w. ROBBINS AND H. F. B'RYAN.

ENGINE GOVERNOR. APPLICATION nun) 19. 1911.

Patented Mar. 23, 1920;

w. ROBBINS'AHND H. F. BRYAN.

ENGINE GOVERNOR. APPLICATION FILED MAR- 19, I917.

Patented Mar. 23, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

1 i WV////// v///// A I fzz/e 225715. azzzzzz mjwa EW/g/ K c x (25 3.-

' smooth road, the engine may run ducing a. rotary wrmtmn ROBBINS AND nann Eritre n, or cnrcaco, ILLINOIS.

ENGINE-GOVERNOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 23,1920.

. Application filed March 19, 1917. Serial No. 155,641.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known. that we, WILLIAM ROBBINS and HARRY F. BRYAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Engine-Governors, of which the following is a s ecification.

his invention relates to engine governors and is designed more specially to act as a speed limit overnor for engines for motor vehicles. l lotor vehicle engines are different from ordinary constant speed engines in that they are called u n at various times to operate at widely di erent speeds. They are also subject to great and sudden variations in load due to of the surface of the roadway and the grade thereof. On account of the variations in road conditions and grades, there is no constant relationship between the speed of the engine and the amount of motive fluid supplied thereto. Forexample, inthe case of an engine controlled by, a plain throttle, the throttle valve may be wide open and yet if the vehicle is heavily loaded and going up hill the engine speed may be very. low. Conversely, in going down hill with a speed even with the throttle partly or en tirely closed. The general object of our invention is to provide means for automatically limiting the speed at which a motor vehicle engine may be run, and at the same time, affordthe driver-full control over the engine so long ts the'engine is runningbelow the maximum permissible speed. We do 'not herein claimthis idea broadly as it is disclosed in a co-pending application filed by us March "12th, 1917, Serial Numher 154,138. The present invention resides more particularly in "certain refinements and structural improvements, among which may be mentioned, first, the idea of making a direct mechanical connection between the controlling mechanism of the engine and the armature of the electr -magnetic device which operatesin harmony with the speed of the engine; second, thei of neutralizing the eflects of gravity, and fourth, the provision of-advantageous expedients of construction and arrangement which will be hereinafter more fully described.

the varying conditions at high.

magnet dea of pro-- armature; third, the idea in the form of two similar The result is,

In order to explain the invention in a simple and advantageous form, we have chosen to illustrate it-in connection with an explosion engine, the speed whereof is controlled by a plain throttle valve located in the intake which leads to the manifold.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the as'sem .bled mechanism shown in connection with the engine.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the throttle valve and governing mechanism taken'on the line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the parts shown in Fig. 2. The view is taken looking to- Ward the left with the cover removed.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on the line M, Fig. 2. I

Fi 5 is a plan view chiefly in section on the l1ne 5--5, Fig. 1, and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view of the gov erning system as a whole.

throughout the several views.

Referring first to the diagram, Fig. 6, the engine A. has a generator B driven from the engine shaft and connected by two conductors G, C to the controlling device which is indicated in general to valve hereinafter mentioned controls the flow in the intake E leadin to the engine. Air is supplied through, t e pipe F and fuel through the pipe or. A. rod I-I afiords means for manual control,

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, the intake E is provided with a throttle valve 1, rigidly fastened to a shaft 2, which is journaled in ball hearings 3, 3, supported in ahousing consisting in the present case of a main casting 5 provided with two covers'6 and 7. Rigldly fastened on shaft 2 is an armature having two pole pieces 9, 9 adapted to be attracts to the pole pieces 10, 10 of an electroenergized by, windingsr 11, 11. These windings are energized t ough the conductors G, G, and with each other with the armature between them. The pole pieces of the armature are segments arranged diametrically opposite to each other. they are balanced and not affected by gravity.- A spiral spring 14 is fastened at one end to shaft 2 and atthe other end to a slotted link 15 through which y D. The controllingarearranged in line I passes a stud 16 by which the link may be adjustably secured to the housing to regulate the tension of the spring.

When the engine is running, an increase in speed will increase the-output of the generator and ,draw the pole pieces 9, 9 over toward the pole pieces 10, 10 against the force of the spring. This tends to move the valve 1 toward closed position. The amount This rock shaft passes into the casing and of movement will depend upon the speed of the engine, and the parts are so designed that under ordinar running conditions when the engine reac es the speed for which the overnor'is set, the valve will be held in t e position which will produce that speed. As the speed increases, the valve moves more closely shut, and as it decreases from said predetermined speed, the valve moves farther open. Thus, the valve floats, as it were, back: and forth and tends to maintain the speed at approximately the value for which the device is set.

The manual control is operated through a rod H, previously mentioned, the lower end of this rod being connected to the free end of an arm 18 which is fastened to a rock shaft 19, journaled in the casing.

is there connected to a rocker arm 20 which cooperates with an arm 21 rigidly fastened to shaft 2. The rocker arm has a head 22 which engages a shoulder 23 on arm 21 The parts are sodesigned that when arm 4) and causing it 20. is rotated by the operator in a clockwise direction, Fig. 4, it will rotate arm 21 in an anti-clockwise direction to close valve but will have no effect to move arm 21 toward open position.

The operation of the device will be evident. The spring 14 tends to keep the parts in the position; shown in- Figs. 2, 3 and 4, at which time the valve will be wide open. When the engine is running, it will cause the rotating armature to berotated toward closed of the spring and, as previously explained, will tend to keep the speedof the vehicle within reasonable limits of the speed for which the governor is set. The operator 'maypartially or entirely close the valve at any time by pulling on rod H and thus roating arm 20 in a clockwise direction (Fi to rotate arm 21 and sha 2 in an anti-clockwise direction, but as the rocker arm.20 is not attached to arm 21, it has no ability to except toward closed position. Thus the the valve closed but can- 'It will be seen of comparatively few parts, which are of simple within a housing. As the armature has a rotary motion, it is in no danger of binding and, furthermore, as it is balanced on positlon 1n opposition to the forceform and are effectually inclosed force it in any direction that the device consists opposite sides of the shaft, gravity has no effect upon it. As the armature and valve are direct connectedon the same shaft, there is no opportunity for lost motion, and in addition to this, the number of parts is reduced to a minimum. It will also be noted that the valve floats in the sense that it moves gradually back and forth by infinitesimal increments in proportion to the variations of engine speed.

Another advantage in this construction in which the governing apparatus works directly on the throttle valve of the mixingdevice, is that it dispenses with any auxiliary valve and hence avoids any possibility of pocketing fuel vapor or gas between the main and supplemental valves.

I Furthermore, as the governing device operates directly upon the throttle valve of the mixing device, the proper operation of the mixing device is assured, and there is nothing to obstruct the passage of the vapor in the manifold.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. Means for controlling the speed of an internal combustion engine comprising an electric generator mechanically driven by the engine, an electromagnetic winding in circuit with the generator whereby the energization is variable proportionately to the engine speed, a rotatable armature, and a fuel valve for the engine actuated by the armature, the angular position of the arma- 1 ture and hence the position of the valve eing variable by infinitesimal increments in practical correspondence with the energization of the winding and hence of the engine speed.

2. An engine speed .governor having a throttle valve for controlling the supply of motive fluid to the engine, a rotating armature for operating said valve, the amount of movement of the valve following by infinitesimal increments the amount of movement of the armature, an electromagnetic winding, which, when energized, causes the armature to rotate in a direction to close the valve, the amount of movement of the armature depending upon the intensity of energization of the winding, an electric generator connected to and operated by the engine in direct proportion to the speed of the engine, the output of the generator depending upon the speed of the generator and the amount of energization of the winding depending upon the output of the generator, and manually operated means having a one way engagement with said valve whereby it is capable of moving the valve toward closed position and incapable of moving it toward open position.

3. A speed limit governor for variable speed engines, having an electric generator driven by the engine, a pair of electro-inagnetlc wlndlngs in line with each other energized by said generator, a rotary armature mounted between said windings and having two balanced pole pieces on opposite sides of their axis, a spring for normally holding said pole pieces out of line with said Windings, a Valve rigidly connected to said armature for controlling the speed of the engine, and manually operated means ope 'ative upon said valve only in the direction to close the same. v

4. An engine speed governor for variable speed engines having an electric generator driven by the engine, an electro-magnetic winding energized by said generator in proportion to the speed of the engine, a rotary armature cooperating with said Winding, an arm connected to said armature and rotatable therewith, controlling means mechanically connected to said arm for controlling thespeed of the engine, and a manually operated rocker arm having a one way engagement with the first mentioned arm whereby it is capable of rotating it in a direction to close the controlling means and is without ability to move it in a direction tomove the controlling means toward open position.

In witness whereof we have hereunto subscribed our names.

WILLIAM ROBBINS.

HARRY F. BRYAN. 

